


Perversion of a Desperate Prayer

by MeetTheTank



Series: Overdose Delusion [1]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Route C/D, feral androids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 02:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeetTheTank/pseuds/MeetTheTank
Summary: 9S gets his wish.





	Perversion of a Desperate Prayer

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wailing and Gnas[H]ing of Teeth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12265770) by [MeetTheTank](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeetTheTank/pseuds/MeetTheTank). 



Why 9S hadn’t killed the machine blacksmith yet is a mystery to him. Watching the armored thing work, with its back turned to him, it would be so easy to run him through with a spear, cleave him in two with a sword, or pummel him to death with a bracer. He could hack the thing, and it wouldn’t have the time to react before its controls are overridden. Yes, it would be simple, quick, painless. More than any machine deserves.

Yet as he holds his hand out to prepare a hack, he fails to go through with it. Seeing the little machine restore the worn white blade to a pristine state halts his attack. 9S lowers his hand with a tired sigh. Every one of those thoughts becomes harder and harder to not act on. He wonders how long it’ll be before he finally does.

9S’ head snaps up as the gears in the little armored machine click and whirr to life. Its torso turns completely around with its legs following soon after.

“There. Good as new,” it says in that grating mechanical drone shared by its brethren.

9S gives the machine a half-hearted thanks as he takes the massive white sword. He nearly loses his grip on the heavy blade before letting it be digitized by his pod for storage. His fingers trace the fading pieces of data with a will of their own.

“...Where is your partner, the owner of that sword. I haven’t seen her in some time.”

The machine’s words cut into his chest, making his whole body tighten as if he had been hit with a physical attack.

“She…” 9S isn’t sure why it’s so hard for him to explain this to an unfeeling machine, but forcing the words out is like swallowing coals, “She’s gone.”

“Ah...my condolences.”

9S turns away from it to hide the sneer that twists his face. What could a machine know about loss, about his pain? What could it know about 2B?

Drawing in a shaky breath, he exits the hidden workshop to resume trek to the resource unit floating nearby. Yet just as he’s about to leave, the machine calls him back.

“Wait, young android. Before you go, heed this warning.”

He stops, casting a tired glance backward at the blacksmith.

“There’s something lurking around the castle of late.”

“...What is it.” 9S curses his curiosity.

“I’m not sure. It seems to be an android...or rather, it seems like it used to be an android. It looks closer to a beast now.”

9S wishes he didn’t know what the machine was referring to. In the time since he's woken up, he’s seen more of these androids turned beasts than he ever wished. He counts himself lucky that they don’t seem to go out of their way to attack him. n Ifact they seem more like skittish animals than the monsters he recalls.

“...I’ll keep an eye out for it,” he mutters before leaving the machine blacksmith to its work.

“It’s like a living shadow. You’ll hear its simple weapon scraping across the ground before you see it.”

Despite 9S being nearly certain that this beastly android won’t drop from the high towers of the castle on him, there’s a distinct feeling of unease that puts him on edge. He instinctively reaches for his sword at every warped shadow or rustling leaves. How silly of him to be so scared by the words of a machine. The senseless thing probably saw a boar or moose inside the castle walls and thought it some monster.

And yet…

If it’s right…

9S keeps his sword in hand. Just in case.

There’s one more thing he has to do before taking on that floating tower of scrap that haunts his peripheral vision. Deeper within the castle lies the library, a sprawling collection of unreadable rotted books and home to the older scanner, 4S. 9S isn’t sure why he chose to isolate himself so far away from the other androids, if something happened to him it’d be hours or even days before anyone would know something was wrong. With this creature supposedly lurking around, his visit to 4S is twofold. To share enemy data as he requested, and to make sure the older model is okay. A part of him says he’s being too paranoid but ever since...He doesn’t want to lose anyone else.

The castle itself is eerie without the hoards of machines loyal to their king. Trekking through used to be a chore as he would have to fight through countless armored machines trying to stop him from getting too close to the infant king. But he could always rely on…

…

But she’s gone now.

And he’s alone.

She called him “Nines” here. She tried to deny it, but he knows what he heard. Her icy demeanor crumbled and was rebuilt in an instant, but he saw someone who cared about him. Someone who…

9S takes a deep breath and wipes the moisture pooling at the corner of his eyes. He lies to himself, it’s just the humidity and dust in the air. He doesn’t have time to sit and cry.

Emotions are prohibited anyway.

4S waves to him as he enters the library then hops down the series of ladders and balconies to meet him. His enthusiasm brings a little smile back to 9S’ face.

“Hey, Nines.”

As soon as that smile appears, it’s gone, replaced by pursed lips and clenched teeth, “Hey.”

4S studies him quietly for a moment before continuing, “Brought me some more data?”

“Yeah. Here you go.”

There are only a few enemy data files to transfer over, simple variations on stubbies and the like. The transfer is over in an instant.

“Hm, I wonder why the machines have such a fascination with hats. They don’t seem to have any purpose in combat.”

“There’s no reason behind anything the machines do.” 9S growls.

“I-...Well yeah, I guess.”

4S dismisses his screen and places his hand on 9S’ shoulder in a gesture of comfort that the younger model has to force himself to accept.

“Hey...do you want to take a break? You’ve been going nonstop ever since-...You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

“...Okay. Well, if you want to talk at all I’ll be here.”

Beneath his visor, 9S stares at the ground between their feet. He can’t meet the other scanner’s gaze. He doubts he could even look at himself right now.

“Thanks.”

There’s a long pause between them, both unsure of what exactly to do. 4S lowers his hand at steps away from him, “...Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah,” 9S mutters as he turns to leave the library and continue his grim quest.

“It’s not just the machines now, you know.”

9S stops in his tracks, “What?”

“Yeah, there’s more than just machines to worry about now. There’s the infected YorHa units too, not to mention this...thing that I’ve seen in the castle.”

“You too, huh? That machine blacksmith by the throne room mentioned something unusual as well.”

“Masamune was the one who warned me about it. I didn’t pay much attention to him until I saw it myself.”

That takes 9S by surprise. The blacksmith’s word only served to unnerve him a little, good for nothing except a bit of paranoia. Coming from 4S, however, it’s far more credible.

“Is it...dangerous?” 9S asks.

“Dunno. It ran away the moment I saw it. It did have this...scary looking weapon, though.”

“So it has the potential to be dangerous.”

“Definitely.”

“Right. Be careful, then. Odd’s are it’ll get bored and wander off.”

They two scanners say their goodbyes to each other before 9S leaves the library, nearly sprinting through the halls of the castle to reach the exit. Even though both the machine blacksmith and 4S said that the monster lurking around is nothing more than a scared animal by nature, the idea that something unknown could be waiting in the shadows disturbs him.

Yet…

Curse his curiosity. If he could, he’d search for the beast. He could already hear 2B-...

…

He’s sure that 2B would chastise him for not focusing on their mission.

But she’s gone now.

…

It’s just him.

Him and his mission.

The blinding light of the never changing sun takes him by surprise. 9S finds himself in the large courtyard that separates the two halves of the castle, yet he doesn’t remember the trip here. A dense fog clouds his mind, but that’s been the case for some time now.

How long has it been?

The red-haired twins said he was out for two weeks after 2B died but after that?

Days? Weeks? Months?

Time has been moving so oddly lately. Not that it matters.

None of it really matters.

9S looks to the sky, to the sun locked eternally in the center. A few clouds drift by, giving him a small reprieve from the blistering, unrelenting sunlight. Staring up at the vast expanse of blue obscured by the clouds and the heavy vegetation of the ancient forest, he suddenly feels small. Insignificant.

Alone.

Really, truly alone.

There’s a dull, yet deep ache in his chest that lingers no matter how much he bunches his coat in his hand.

“2B…” he mutters to no one but himself.

If she were here...things would be so much different. No YorHa, no missions. They would be free. Free to explore, free to feel, free to do whatever they felt.

“If I could see you, just once more….Maybe I could finally-”

A sudden intense jolt of electricity runs from the back of his neck to the rest of his body, literally shocking him out of his daze. He whips around to see exactly what had attacked him, only to find his pod floating close behind him, with arcs of electricity jumping between one of its claws.

“Pod?! What the hell, why did you do that?!”

“Unit 9S did not respond to the previous five warnings. Preventative measures were taken to assure unit 9S was operating properly.”

“Warnings?” Had he really been that oblivious? “What warnings?”

“This pod detected a black box signal eleven minutes ago but was unable identify the unit it belongs to.”

“What does that mean?!”

“A black box cannot be identified when the unit has suffered severe corruption that affects the identification chip of the unit.”

“Where is the signal coming from?”

“Five meters away.”

9S scans the courtyard frantically for anything hiding in plain sight. The longer he goes without finding anything the more panicked he becomes. A loud scrape echoes across the castle, something metallic being dragged across the stone floor. It’s impossible to pinpoint and only serves to further stress 9S.

“Come on...where are you…”

He searches for any movement, anything out of the ordinary hiding in the bushes and shrubs that dot the courtyard. Any oddly moving shadows or misplaced shapes, but it’s difficult to discern anything through the mess of vegetation. The two bright lights that shine through the underbrush-

“Pod!”

At 9S’ command, Pod 153 fires a barrage of shots into the foliage that obscures the creature with glowing white eyes. Whatever it is lets out a pathetic high pitched whine as the energy bullets rip apart its hiding place. A massive shadow darts out of the bushes with speed that shouldn’t be possible of a creature that size, dragging what appears to be a length of rusted iron. Pod’s fire trails it as it bursts out of the vegetation in a shadowy blur, any bullet that does manage to hit it simply ricochets off of the thick black fabric that covers the monster.

Like Masamune and 4S said it doesn’t pay 9S attention at all, it rushes past him, only trying to avoid the pod fire. It moves so fast that he can’t get a decent look at what exactly it is. There’s at least one arm, the one that clutches the hunk of iron that drags behind it. Another arm ending in fearsome claws appears as it leaps up the wall of the castle, scrambling for purchase on the sheer stone.

“Pod, fire laser at forty percent power at its empty hand!”

Pod 153’s body splits in two, revealing a series of lenses that immediately begin surging with power. As if sensing the incoming attack, the monster scrambles up the sheer walls as fast as its claws can pierce the bricks. With precise calculations, a beam of light explodes from the lenses and hits its mark on the shrouded creature’s hand just as its claws dig into the stonework. The brittle stone explodes with from the force of the blast, and with its handhold gone the beast plummets to the ground with an ear-splitting scream.

It lands on its side, a sickening crack echoes above all other sounds the moment the monster hits the earth, its crude weapon landing a moment later. A cloud of dust and dirt erupts around the beast and its weapon, obscuring them from 9S’ view. He shields his face from the rush of rubble and dust despite wearing his visor and coughs when he accidentally inhales a lungful.

As the dust disperses, 9S watches the monster writhe on the ground. It wails in a hauntingly familiar yet distorted tone as it tries to right itself. Its claws tangle in its shroud and prevent it from standing up. It manages to rise only to stumble over itself and crash back to the ground with another pathetic shriek.

9S strides forward with his black katana in hand. This thing was threatening his friend and one of the few machines he’s keeping alive. He has to put this shrieking thing out of its misery. Its unblinking eyes lock onto him as he approaches, gaze unwavering even while it forces itself to its feet. One of its arms, the one it landed on, dangles uselessly by its side. It breaks its focus on the encroaching android to try and make its damaged limb move to no avail. Its focus returns to 9S the moment he gets within a yard of it, and to his surprise, it cowers away from him. This creature that looms over him is... afraid of him.

Now that it isn’t running at breakneck speed 9S can finally get a good look at this thing. Beneath the tattered black shroud that covers most of its body, there are several shards of metal that jut out of its chest and stomach. Some of them look like broken weapons, others are rusted chunks of the same material as its weapon. Its arms and legs have similar patterns on the exposed bone, muscle, and frame as the android corpses that litter the city ruins. However, the beast’s warped claws, twisted feet, and those piercing white eyes are distinctly inhuman. He can’t see its face as its covered by the thick black cloth. In fact, that cloth seems to be made up of pieces of fabric and...hide stitched together haphazardly.

Its unblinking eyes flick between him and his sword, the arm that still functions feeling around for anything it could use to defend itself. Sometimes it nearly touches the handle of its iron cudgel. Fearing what would happen should it hold its weapon, 9S lunges forward with a shout. Just as he’s about to strike the beast across the chest it swings its body with enough force for its useless arm to beat him out of the air. 9S tumbles to the ground and prepares for a retaliation from the creature, but nothing happens. All it does is take hold of its weapon and watches him right himself.

9S snarls as he prepares a plan of attack. He won’t let this idiotic monster humiliate him in combat. He is a scanner, a top of the line model, and he’s fought far worse things than some rotting android. A ring of golden energy appears around his arm and around the hilt of his blade just before he throws it at the monster. It spins in an arc, circling the creature but never actually hitting it.

The beast crouches low to the ground, its joints cracking and groaning audibly. It tries to keep track of 9S’ sword but 9S forces it to move faster and faster until the monster stops trying to follow it and simply stares at him and whines. Seeing his opening, 9S forces the sword to return to his hand and dashes forward. With a pathetic yelp, it deflects this blade with the mass of iron, but the second attack hits its mark. The katana slices through its shroud but it doesn’t connect with the beast itself. It shrieks as it leaps back, batting away 9S’ sword with its own weapon.

Each strike from 9S either glances off the monster’s crude weapon or carves through its shroud. The already tattered fabric is shredded even further by 9S with each attack. It isn’t the fact that he doesn’t even hit the creature that makes him roar and scream at it, but the fact that it isn’t fighting back. It’s just mocking him, effortlessly blocking or avoiding strike after strike with its weapon or shroud. A twisting rage builds inside 9S that drives him to attack with reckless abandon.

Pod 153 acts without command, firing a barrage of bullets at the shroud and shredding it faster than any of 9S’ strikes could. It tries to huddle behind hits massive weapon but 9S is just as unrelenting as Pod’s bullets. He puts all his effort into a strike aimed directly at its head, and just as he expects it shreds the last of the cloth that still shields it from his attacks.

With a roar the beast finally strikes back, clubbing 9S across the body with its crude length of iron. The pain is so great that for a moment he loses visual feed as he crumbles to the ground. It only takes a moment for him to regain his sight only to be greeted by the creature’s face hovering just inches from his.

Its putrid breath nearly makes him gag, its pointed fangs grazing his cheek with how close it is. Without the shroud obscuring its face, 9S can see the skinless face of what used to be an android. No facial features remain beyond the searing eyes and animalistic teeth. A shock of white hair, now yellowed and filthy, masks the exposed wiring of its skull. 9S scrambles backward as far as he can, just so long as he’s no longer underneath this vile creature.

As 9S holds his sword tight in his hand, the monster does the same with its own weapon. Its stance changes to that of a fighter, rather than a scared animal. Still, its eyes remain trained on 9S even as they size each other up. 9S makes the first move, launching forward to strike at its feet. Just as before the monster flings its mangled arm down at him, but this time he’s ready. With his lingering momentum, 9S swings up, slicing through the brittle metal and rotting wires of the monster’s arm. As the useless limb falls to the ground, the creature reels back and lets out a horrid corrupted shriek. Its retaliation comes faster than 9S expects, the creature twists its body around and strikes 9S again. This time he’s only forced back a couple of feet before he charges once again.

“Now you decide to fight back, huh?!” he shouts.

A rumbling snarl echoes from the monster. It swings the iron cudgel effortlessly in broad strikes that keep 9S out of range of it. He has to focus on evading, after taking two hits from that hunk of metal he’s not keen on taking any more. Especially since it seems that it’s suddenly decided to fight seriously.

But then again, so had he.

The creature leaps into the air, flips, and slams the mass of iron into the ground just inches away from 9S. Again, it leaps and strikes, and again. Each time 9S barely avoids it, the force alone winding him.

“Well, come on then! Do what you were built to do!”

He isn’t sure where this fury is coming from, but it roils in his gut and burns in his veins. A vile hate that spurs him to strike and strike without a plan.

“That’s all you know right?!”

The beast meets him blow for blow, striking with great spins and flips. It moves with the grace and precision of a YorHa android, and with the crushing power of one as well. The stone beneath their feet shatters each time the creature’s weapon.

“All you know is war!! All any of us know is war!!”

The tip of the makeshift weapon tears a long gash in his coat and drags him with the backswing. He crashes against the castle walls but doesn’t take a moment to let his jostled systems reorient themselves. The beast strikes its weapon against the ground and roars at him.

“But no...you’re different from the rest, right?!”

It charges him, or rather it runs a few feet then lunges at him, dragging the weapon behind it and carving great gashes into the earth. It spins furiously as it lands and strikes at 9S with everything it has left. There’s nowhere for him to run. He takes the full force of the monster’s attack. Something in his chest shatters and the rest of his coat is torn to shreds. Yet just as before, he refuses to stay down for long. He rises to his feet, albeit hunched over and clutching the wound seeping a thick red fluid.

“You...Your job was to…Kill us.” he struggles to growl at the monster, “An...executioner.”

Something jolts through the monster’s body. As if that word had physical weight to it, it freezes mid-swing. A low, pitiful whine escapes the beast, like the grinding of metal on metal.

“That’s what you are...right?!” he shouts, “That’s your job?!”

It charges him again, and 9S matches with a roar of his own. The fire churning in his gut swells and numbs the pains in his chest. He goes on the offensive, his unrelenting attacks chip away at the rusted iron and rotting android frame.

“So do your job!! Finish your mission!!”

9S fights with a feral anger, looking not unlike the monster he’s facing. His blood flows freely without the pressure of his free hand. A trail of crimson coolant follows each rabid attack he makes.

“Do it already!!”

He slices across the monster’s stomach, emptying it of what seems to be gallons of festering black sludge.

“Kill me!!”

The monster screams and slams the iron maul down, but 9S rolls forward to bury his sword in its chest next to the countless others.

“ _Kill me!!_ ”

It grabs his face in its claws and pins him against the ground. Its claws constrict around his throat, the tips digging into his skin. He stains for air and beats his fists weakly against the monster’s crushing grip. Error messages cloud his vision as he gasps and chokes on the fluids that pool in his mouth.

“K-kil-....M-...”

Just as his visual feed fades to vague shapes and blaring warnings, the monster’s grip loosens. It draws its claws away from his throat and places them on his chest with a tenderness ill-fitting a beast. It presses its palm against his wound and lets out a pathetic sound that almost sounds like speech.

“N-....nnnn….Ni-”

9S screams and wrenches his sword out of the monster’s chest, then plunges it back in. And again, and again, and again, until he’s coated in the sick black sludge that bleeds from its wounds. His screams turn to roars, he puts every ounce of strength he has into throwing the beast off of his body. The synthetic muscles in his arms and legs tear under the strain, but he forces himself through the pain to pin the monster against the earth.

The wailing creature thrashes in a growing pool of its own fluids, feebly swatting at 9S with its remaining arm. With each stab its attempts to resist grow weaker and weaker until it falls still. Even as a lingering whine escapes the dying beast, 9S continues his onslaught.

He isn’t sure why tears start to fall or when exactly his vocal processors give out, but his rage fades only to be replaced by that crushing emptiness from before. His furious roars turn to choked sobs, the strength in his arms leaves him slumped over with his shoulders heaving from the effort of breathing.

With what little remains of his strength he reaches out to the creature’s face. His touch lingers on a bit of skin on her chin just barely attached. After wiping a bit of grime away, a little blemish appears, one that he’s only seen on one particular android. Such an insignificant thing; how could it tear into his heart like this? His fingers comb through the remnants of her hair as his tears and blood mix with the foul-smelling sludge.

9S moves in a daze, climbing off of her chest to cradle her skeletal head in his lap like a precious object. The wounds he’s suffered seep with each sob that wracks his body. He barely notices Pod trying to staunch the flow.

He sits there till his cries are reduced to quiet wheezes and tears no longer fall. Beyond the crushing exhaustion, there’s a tension pulling at his skin where the staunching gel holding him together hardens. His body is caked in sludge and blood that cracks when he forces himself to his feet. Something that mourning android said ages ago rings through his clouded mind.

With Pod’s help, he drags her body to a quiet spot surrounded by bushes and budding flowers. The pair collects pieces of rubble and loose stones broken during the battle to gradually pile them around her corpse. Once her body is completely covered with several layers of stone he and Pod embed her weapon, her real weapon as opposed to the crude iron bar, at the head of the memorial. He sinks to his knees once again, pain and sorrow draining the last reserves of strength he has.

“I’ll be with you soon...”


End file.
